What I personally find particularly valuable about PEKiP is that it combines so many important basics for the first year of life in one course:
Firstly, all parents receive great suggestions and ideas on how they can lovingly support their babies' development. They also receive practical help on how they can support their babies, for example, in their motor skills.
However, it is by no means only about gross motor development, but also all other important core competencies that a baby learns in the first year of life (e.g. social interaction, fine motor skills, language development, sensory perceptions, brain maturation, …) are discovered playfully.
In PEKiP, babies are free to explore everything in a safe, exploratory environment. Since we know that naked babies feel much more comfortable and move more freely and spontaneously, the room is always kept at a cozy, warm temperature.
Another goal of the PEKiP group is to foster child-to-child interaction. It's so wonderful to watch how even the youngest children connect with each other. They watch with fascination what the other babies are doing, learn from one another, and enthusiastically approach each other.
PEKiP offers so much more:
- Parents have the opportunity to get to know their babies much better, to recognize the moods and needs of their children, and to respond sensitively to them.
- It fosters the bond and trust between parents and child.
- All important topics of the first year of life are discussed (e.g. sleep, crying, nutrition, development, pediatrician, …)
- There is a question and answer session for parents every hour.
- Everyone receives great suggestions for games, sensory activities, and crafts for their everyday life.
In practice, it looks like this:
From around eight weeks of age, mothers and/or fathers meet weekly with their babies in a warm room with mats. A PEKiP group typically consists of six to eight adults and their babies, who are roughly the same age. Because the groups usually remain the same, a trusting and open atmosphere quickly develops, which benefits both parents and babies.
In each PEKiP session (90 minutes), babies and their parents receive a variety of movement and play activities from their PEKiP group leader in a relaxed atmosphere. These activities are always appropriate for the age and developmental stage of the children. The leader addresses each baby and parent individually. The session is always designed so that the children's needs are paramount. Breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or putting the baby down for a nap is permitted at any time.
PEKiP (Prager-EparentsKind-PThe PEKiP program is always led by qualified PEKiP group leaders who have completed specialized additional training. This qualification is provided by PEKiP e.V. Only professionals with a basic qualification in social pedagogy are eligible for this training.
Under www.pekip.de Is there any further information?.